Bacteria Living In Ice Cubes Can't Survive In Whiskey, Finds Study

Trending News: Science Just Proved Whiskey Should Be Your Drink Of Choice

Why Is This Important?

Unless you have a hankering for bacteria in your cocktails,opt for whiskey.

Long Story Short

After Italian researchers discovered 52 (!!) strains of bacteria living in ice cubes, they used them in a variety of cocktails to test their survival skills. The result? Just what us whiskey lovers wanted to see.

The study, which was published in Annals of Microbiology, found the ice being served at bars and restaurants, as well as the cubes you’re making at home, to be the worst offenders. So, in an effort to discover if we should indeed continue ordering cocktails or put on a hazmat suit and never head to the local bar again, they simulated, well, a bar.

First, researchers contaminated ice cubes with the four most popular strains of bacteria, then they mixed them with a bunch of different alcohols, including vodka and whiskey. They also made a martini and tested peach tea, tonic water and Coke as mixers.

While there was “a consistent reduction of bacterial risk due to alcohol, CO2 and pH” levels across the board, all four strains were actually able to grow when mixed with vodka and peach tea. Meanwhile, one of the four survived in tonic water and two made a living when paired with Coke. But, get ready for this, NOTHING survived in whiskey. And we have pH levels to thank for that. The lower the pH of a drink, the more acidic it is, the less likely bacteria is to survive. So, while vodka has a pretty neutral pH of 6, whisky is lower down on the scale at 4.2 and boasts a higher acidic content.

While the study didn’t look at whether or not presence of this kind of bacteria in your ice could actually make you sick, it’s nice to know that we have yet another (this time scientific) reason to opt for a good ol’ Rye on the Rocks. In fact, we'll take two to celebrate!